Placer mining machine



July 12, 1949. J, w, WHITE 2,476,231

PLACER MINING MACHINE Filed March 25, 1946 s Sheet s-She et, 1

July 12, 1949. J. w. wan-E 2,476,231

PLACER MINING MACHINE Filed March 25, 1946 s Sheets- Sheet 2' July 12, 1949. J. w. WHITE 2,476,231

PLACER MINING MACHINE Filed March 25, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented July 12, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PLACER MINING MACHINE James W. White, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application March 25, 1946, Serial No. 656,937

This invention relates to a placer mining machine, and it is an object of this invention to provide a machine so constructed that dirt and gravel containing gold and other minerals may be passed through the machine and the mineral separated from the dirt and gravel and retained in the machine while the dirt and gravel are carried from the machine.

Another object of the invention is to provide a placer mining machine wherein the dirt and gravel are fed from a hopper onto a reciprocating table under harrows or agitators mounted at opposite sides of the hopper so that during reciprocating movement of the table the harrows will move through the dirt and gravel and the dirt and gravel so acted upon the harrow will gravitate to the bottom of troughs on the table provided for this purpose.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a placer mining machine wherein an endless conveyor is employed for deliverin the gold laden dirt and gravel to the hopper and another endless conveyor employed for receiving the dirt and gravel after the gold has been separated therefrom and depositing the dirt and gravel upon a dump, or into vehicles for conveying it to a suitable place of disposal.

Yet another object of this invention is to so construct a placer mining machine that a large quantity of gold bearing dirt and gravel may be handled and passed at a relatively high rate of speed along sloping side portions of the table to which it is delivered from the hopper.

A still further object of this invention is to provide the table with gold receiving troughs so mounted that they may be easily slid into and out of place and thus permit the troughs to be removed for emptying gold accumulated therein without disturbing the remainder of the machine.

To the foregoing objects, and others which may hereinafter more fully appear, the invention consists of the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, as will be more specifically referred to and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, but it is to be understood that changes, variations and modifications may be resorted to which fall within the scope of the invention as claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a placer mining machine constructed according to an embodiment of my invention,

Figure 2 is a vertical section taken on the line 2 2 ofFigure 1,

4 Claims. (01. 209-471) Figure 3 is a fragmentary vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1,

Figure 4 is a fragmentary top plan View of the riflles,

Figure 5 is a vertical section taken on the line 55 of Figure 4,

Figure 6 is a fragmentary vertical section of the harrows,

Figure 7 is a detail side elevation of the driving pulley, and

Figure 8 is a detail sectionpf the screen of my machine.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 29 designates generally a supporting frame for sup porting a hopper frame 2| and the riflie trough table 22. The frame 20 comprises base members 23 and vertical members 24 fixed together at the base. Spaced from the base and fixed to the upright frame members 24 are horizontal strengthening members 25.

The motive power for this machine is derived from an engine 26 which is mounted on an extension of the base members 23 beyond the Vertical members 24. A pulley 21 is mounted by bearings 28 on one of the frame members 24 and is driven from the engine or motor 26 by a belt 29 over a pulley 30 fixed to the drive shaft 3| of the engine 26; The pulley 21 is fixed to the shaft 32 on one side of the supports 24, and the shaft 32 is rotatably supported by the hearing 28 and a vertical support 33 between the uprights 24 and the cross member 25. A sprocket 34 is fixed on the shaft 32. Supported across the top of the frame 2|] is another shaft 35 to which is fixed a sprocket 36 which is driven by a chain 31 between the sprockets 34 and 36.

A conveyor belt 38 is driven by the shaft 35 for conveying the dirt and gravel containing gold to the top of the machine. The ore is carried by buckets 39 fixed to the belt 38. The lower end of the belt 38 is carried by a sprocket 40 mounted on a rotatable shaft at the base of the frame.

The ore conveyed to the top of the frame 20 is dropped onto an inclined screen 4|. The screen 4| is rockably connected to the frame 20 at its upper end as at 42 and the lower edge is slidably supported on the upper edge of the hopper 43. The larger pieces of gravel and dirt are guided over the screen 4| to the chute 44, hinged to the hopper frame 2| and dropped from there to a Waste pile. Any of the dirt and gravel passing through the screen 4| before it reaches the hopper is guided to the hopper 43 by another chute 45, hinged also to the frame 20.

The hopper 43 is fixed. to a hopper frame 2| which also support a series of narrows or agitators 46 extending downwardly from the hopper 43. The hopper frame 2| is supported in such a manner that it is slidable vertically in the frame 20, and is supported therein by cords or cables 41. The cable 4'! is guided over a pulley 48 and outwardly to a crank shaft 49 which may be operated by a hand crank 50, for raising and lowering the hopper frame 2|, together with the hopper 43 and harrows 46.

A descending series of riflies 5| are fixed to a carriage or riffle frame 22. The riille frame 221s of a generally triangular configuration having a receiving tray 52 fixed to the apex thereof. A series of rifiles or troughs 5| are fixed to the vertical sides of the frame 22 in descending arrangement whereby the ore spillsfrom the tray 52,- downwardly into and over the riiiies 5|. The rifiles 5| are so formed that each is closed at the end and the lower edges of each rifile overlaps the mounted securely thereon and the other end of the pitman 55 is connected to a crank pin 5.! on a disc 58, which disc 58 is fixed to the shaft 32, whereby the carriage is imparted reciprocating motion from the engine 26.

The rifiles 5| and tray 52 are longer than the harrows 46 to provide for reciprocating motion of the carriage 22 while the harrows 46 are fixed relative to the frame 20.

Harrow teeth 59 are fixed in pairs to the harrow 46 and depend downwardly into the rifiles 5| for agitating the dirt and gravel containing ore. The teeth 59 do not reach the bottom of the riffies 5| but are spaced from the bottom and edges thereof.

The dirt and gravel spilling over the rifiies 5| finally spills over the lower edge of the carriage 22 when the gold or desired material has-been removed, through a waste hopper or chute 60, and then onto a conveyor belt 6|, which is chain driven from the engine 26.

The dirt and gravel is delivered to'the waste pile by the conveyor belt 6|.

Another conveyor 62, having buckets 63-, is supported on the frame 20, and chain driven from the engine 26, for raising the dirt and gravel from the waste pile to a truck or other means for transporting the waste to some other point. The waste from this conveyor 62 is guided from the conveyor by a chute or guide 64, depending from the frame 20.

In order to agitate the dirt and gravel in the rifiles air tubes 65 are provided in the bottom-of each riffle 5|. The tubes 65 are fixed in the rifiies 5| and extend through one end wall and are closed or capped on at their end within the rifiie 5|. The tubes 65' are so positioned that they are spaced slightly above the bottom'of the riflles and are provided with openings 66 along the bottom thereof between the tubes 65' and the bottom of the rifiies 5|. the tubes 65 from some external source-0f compressed air through a flexible 'tube- 66 and-a manifold 61' which extends-alongthe end of each side of the carriage-22.

In-the use and operation of this machine the Air under" pressure is-supplied-to dirt and gravel bearing ore is fed into the hopper 43 by the conveyor 38 which is driven from the engine by the chain 31 and sprockets 34 and 36. The ore then passes over and through the screen 4| into the hopper 43 and onto the tray 52. The carriage bearing riflles 5| is reciprocated by the pitman 55 driven by the engine 26 through the belt 29 and crank 58. The ore then spills into the rifiies 5| where it is agitated by the harrow teeth 59 and air in the tubes 65 and into succeeding rifiles until only dirt and gravel is deposited on the conveyor 6| to be delivered to the Waste pile. The metal in the riffles is gotten by raising the harrow frame 2| so that the harrow teeth 59 are raised from the rifiles 5| and the riilies may then be raised out of the rifile frame and carriage '22 and the metal removed.

The waste conveyor 62 is driven also by the engine 26 by the chain 68 and sprockets 69, and a chain Ill connects a sprocket H with another sprocket 12 to drive the conveyor 6|.

The exact configuration illustrated is regarded as the optimum, but some of the desirable results inherent in this disclosure may be obtained by various slight modifications including some departure from the exact configuration shown, and it is therefore requested that the scope of the invention should be regarded as limited only by the terms of the claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

1. A placer mining machine comprising a supporting frame, a hopper frame vertically slidable in said first frame, means carried by said supporting frame for raising and lowering said hopper frame, agitators fixed to said hopper frame, a carriage reciprocable in said first frame, oppositely disposed descending series of rifiies carried by said carriage, means for reciprocating said carriage, said agitators extending into said riffles for agitating the ore, compressed air tubes carried by said rifiies having openings formed therein for agitating the ore, a conveyor on said supporting frame for carrying ore to said hopper, a conveyor on said frame for carrying the waste ore from the machine and a conveyor for loading the waste ore to a truck, and an engine mounted on said frame for reciprocating said carriage and for operating said conveyors.

2. In a placer mining machine a hopper, a reciprocable carriage, an ore receiving tray carried by said carriage below said hopper, downwardly and outwardly extending series of rifiles removably carriedby said carriage on opposite sides of said tray, a harrow frame carried by said hopper, agitators depending from said frame and extending into said riflies for agitating the ore upon reciprocating movement of saidcarriage,airtubes carried by said rifiies for agitating the ore-,and means for reciprocating said carriage.

3. .A placer mining machine comprising a vertically adjustablehopper frame, a' hopperin said frame, a reciproca-ble carriage, an ore tray fixed to said carriage below said hopper, descending series of rifiles removably mounted on said: carriage on opposite sides of said tray, agitators fixed to said hopper frame and extending into said rifiies for agitating the ore upon reciprocating movement of said carriage, meansfor conveying ore'to said hopper, means for removing the waste from said machine, and means for reciprocating said carriage and operating said we conveying means.

4. A placer mining machine comprising a vertioaily adjustable hopper frame, a hopper in said frame, a reciprocable carriage, an ore tray fixed to said carriage below said hopper, descending series of rifiies removably mounted on said carriage on opposite sides of said tray, agitators fixed to said hopper frame and extending into said riflies for agitating the ore upon reciprocating movement of said carriage, means for conveying ore to said hopper, means for removing the waste from said machine, means for reciprocating said carriage and operating said ore conveying means, and means removably securing said series of riffles and said tray on said carriage.

JAMES W. WHITE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: 

